Mortal
by daytimestaar
Summary: It was such a horrible bother to be stuck in the human body of Kirihito. It would become weak so quickly, begging for more energy than could be obtained through nourishment and sleep. But what happens when he finds the perfect girl to take advantage of? Can he find a way to make her his constant supply of life energy? Can he trick her into believing that he's her soul mate?
1. Chapter 1-Soul Mate

"...sama. _Kirihito-sama!_"

The boy's heavily outlined eyes fluttered open. Bars of light were thrown onto his futon through the blinds. He vaguely wondered what time it was.

"Kirihito-sama." He turned to see one of his masked familiars kneeling respectfully beside him. Anticipating the coming question, the familiar informed him, "It is currently one in the afternoon."

Kirihito's eyes widened slightly. Human bodies were such a pain and he had never quite gotten used to how much sleep they needed... And he still felt horribly weak. He needed to get back to his old body soon. Food didn't seem to be enough, and to get more energy he would have to obtain it from other humans through physical contact, usually acts of affection… Such a bother.

"I'm leaving for town," Kirihito announced, suddenly standing up and walking to his wardrobe.

"But you must eat first, Kirihito-sama!" the familiar exclaimed worriedly. Glancing at the speaker briefly, Kirihito sighed.

"So troublesome," he murmured under his breath. A bit louder, he said, "I'll get something while I'm out."

"I shall accompany you," the loyal yokai stated. Kirihito breathed out in exasperation, even more annoyed with his situation than usual.

"No, you will stay here."

"Yes, Kirihito-sama, if you are certain."

"I am."

{{{/}}}

The quaint café was quiet, with only the occasional customer. Only a few tables rested on the worn wooden floor. The single, droopy-eyed employee gazed at the small television placed on the back wall, his eyes scanning a news headline.

Kirihito lazily fidgeted with the stirrer of his coffee. He was still feeling weak, but at least it was peaceful in this little hole-in-the wall. He wondered what he should do. Feeling like a zombie throughout his days would certainly hurt his search for his body. There's always that land god he could take energy from, but somehow he doubted that would be easy with the forever over-protective Tomoe.

"Stupid fox!" he suddenly shouted, banging his fist on the table and grinding his teeth. The employee glanced at him for a brief moment, before turning back to the television. Silence reigned once again.

The sun was already inching down in the sky, and Kirihito realized it must've been around four. He hadn't done anything, really. He had just blankly stared at nothing in particular, his thoughts and actions slow. _It's Monday, huh,_ he thought. He felt as though, if he were to be like this for the rest of the week, his body would have issues functioning and start drifting out of consciousness. This had been happening far too often recently. Why was his body being so difficult to retrieve?

The door was shot opened with an unexpected _boom_. Kirihito's head shot up, surprised and somewhat disoriented. His eyes quickly locked onto the face of the cause of this sudden noise. She was a girl, not tall but certainly not short. Her black locks were tied up in a complicated bun atop her head, and her bangs framed her pale face. Her green eyes were filled with immeasurable energy and he could tell by the grin on her lips that she was _definitely_ an obnoxious person.

As though to prove his suspicions, the girl ran up to the employee. "Hey, hey! I came to see ya, Yamamoto-san!"

"Ah, Tsukino-chan," the employee addressed her, turning his attention away from the television. Looking relieved at having someone to talk to, he ruffled her hair. An orange leaf fell out as her bun loosened slightly. "How're you doing these days?"

"Great! The autumn air is so crisp!" she shouted, spinning around the restaurant. She started to near Kirihito, and he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Ah!" she suddenly cried as she started to lose her balance. Kirihito's eyes widened as she fell on his table, spilling the coffee all over him before losing her grip on the table and falling on him herself.

Kirihito glared at her as her cheeks brightened in embarrassment. "Apologies!" she shouted, quickly standing up and bowing. "Oh, I hope you weren't scalded !"she shouted, looking around for something to soak the coffee off of Kirihito.

"Don't worry about that, Tsukino-chan. This kid's been her for a couple hours now. His coffee's got to be room temperature by now. Ain't that right, son?" the employee asked.

"This is your idea of how to treat customers, is it?" Kirihito asked, grinning in annoyance. "If I knew that, I wouldn't have bothered staying here so long, or even coming here at all."

"Ah! Don't leave! It was all my fault, I'm so sorry!" The girl bowed repeatedly. Her gaze met his head-on, her sincere feelings evident in her apologetic eyes. Kirihito sighed, waving as he left the café

Kirihito stared at his feet, focusing much more on his balance than should've been necessary. He wondered where he should go to next. After all, he didn't know of many other places filled with such a peaceful quiet. _And that girl shamelessly ruined it with such ease_.

"Don't leave!" the girl cried out again after several moments. Kirihito turned around to find the figure running on the sidewalk, attempting to catch up to him. His eyes widened as he realized…

"Are you going to continue to follow me around until I agree to go back into that café?" he asked in exasperation.

She came to a halt and stopped next to him. "What do you think?"

He rolled his eyes and continued walking. She half-skipped happily next to him, not wavering in the slightest. After about five minutes he glanced over to find that she was _still_ there. Noticing his gaze, she smiled joyfully up at him. She winked, leaning toward him as they walked. "So what do you say—"

"No," he cut her off, looking forward again. She wouldn't last much longer… would she?

About an hour later, it was obvious that she had no plans on giving in. "Quite the pushy saleswoman," he murmured. Then, he walked into a nearby clothing store.

"Oh, are you into this kind of clothing? If you want, I can buy you something to apologize for before… Oh! But I don't have my wallet… I can buy you a gift card and tell Yamamoto-san to give it to you next time! And then—"

Kirihito again cut her off. "You don't plan on following me in _here_, do you?" he asked, motioning toward the door to the men's bathroom before them.

"Ah, sorry!" she said, again bowing. He exhaled in exasperation before pushing the door open and entering a place free of that girl… and where he could attempt to summon more energy from some nonexistent part of himself.

He leaned against the sink, panting as he wiped a drop of sweat from his forehead. Going like this, he really would only have a week before something bad happened. He turned around and coughed into the sink, a very slight taste of blood spreading across his tongue. He groaned.

The fall air had been chilly and dry, a mixture that was not helping his throat. He reached into his pocket and popped a throat lozenge into his mouth. He absentmindedly twirled it around in his mouth, leaning against the wall for a moment before sliding down onto the floor. He spread out his legs, staring at his feet. Really, what was he going to do?

He suddenly realized that he was still sitting on the floor of the men's bathroom and immediately stood up. Suddenly remembering the girl, he realized that she _had_ to have left and, relieved to be freed of the burden, he left the restroom.

He walked down the aisles of clothing toward the exit, pulling the door open. "Have a nice day," a clerk said, voice monotone. Kirihito grunted in response as he stepped out into the now breezier air.

The best thing to do, he supposed, would be to go back to the shrine. There, his familiars would nurse his body… Not that it would do much. Anyway, he really did need to get out of the breeze. His throat was sore enough already.

He began walking in the direction of the shrine, looking across the horizon as the sunset began to appear. The colorful rays merged into the autumn leaves, creating quite the picturesque scenery. After all these years, however, Kirihito was hardly impressed by the sunset.

"Sir!" The call came from behind him. _It's just your imagination_, he thought to himself, quickening his pace. "Sir!" It was getting closer…

He almost lost his balance as something—or, more accurately, some_one_—tugged firmly on his arm. His gaze flickered to the palm gripping him. Annoyed, he began to detach her fingers from him.

"Human, are you _still_ following me?!" he shouted, glaring at her. He saw her shiver slightly, but felt no guilt. The girl had to learn her place… "You need to learn to—"

Kirihito was interrupted by his own coughing fit. Her eyes widened, the worry plainly showing in them. He held out his palm to keep her silent for a moment as he cleared his throat. "Anyway, you need to learn to take a—"

"Are you sick?!" she asked, her voice filled with panic. She glanced around his face as though trying to find proof of this.

"I'm fine," he told her briefly. "As I was saying—"

"I need to take a hint, yeah, yeah," she said, waving him off. "But believe me, that coughing fit just now was more than enough of a hint for me to realize that you are _not_ fine."

Kirihito was slightly surprised by her somewhat impolite response, and realized that she had probably stopped trying to sweet-talk him into going back to the café. Now, she was merely worried about his condition… And Kirihito was not pleased with this realization.

"A slight… cold," he said, deciding it would be best to give the girl at least _some_ answer so she might leave him alone. She seemed to dwell on this response for a moment, before she bowed.

"My name is Tsukino Ayaka! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Kirihito was silent for a moment, uncomprehending. "Excuse me?"

She grinned up at him. "I realized I forgot to introduce myself before! May I ask what your name might be?"

He hesitated for a moment, and then sighed in defeat. "Kirihito Mori."

"Then, Kirihito-sama, it was a pleasure meeting you!" she shouted. Then, her expression changed slightly, as she added, "I'm certain we were meant to meet." Then, as though she had some urgent task to complete, she ran off toward where they had come from.

Kirihito attempted to decode her message. Perhaps she was just superstitious and believed that everyone she met, she met for a reason. Or perhaps she had the oh-so-human interest in soul mates and romance, though he hardly believed this meeting made her think him boyfriend material.

Then, it dawned on him.

The girl was overly kind. Certainly, she was also naïve. She was clumsy and careless. She was polite, but not entirely thoughtful. She seemed to run on emotions rather than rationality. She _did_ seem the type to believe in soul mates and destined meetings. In which case…

She would be easy to use.

If he were to gain her trust, he could become this "soul mate" for her. Then, he could simply use her. Even if she was just an ordinary human, if he was careful not to kill her in doing so, then she could act as his regular supply of life energy. If he made her willing, then not only would she not complain, but no one around her could complain or be suspicious. After all, it isn't strange at all for a boy to show affection towards his girl, is it?


	2. Chapter 2-Date

"Kirihito-sama! It's gotten so late! Was everything in town okay?!" a familiar asked upon Kirihito's arrival back at the shrine. The sun had set long before his return, and the familiars gathered around to greet him.

"Everything was fine," he assured them, stepping into the shrine without bothering to even spare them a glance. He stumbled oddly into his room, half slipping onto his futon. His chest rose and fell haphazardly, and he tugged at his loose shirt collar as though it was responsible for his lack of breath.

"Kirihito-sama!" He waved them off, glaring at them to keep them from approaching. "Kirihito-sama, if this keeps up, you'll barely last the rest of the week!"

Kirihito sat up and gave a slight smirk. "I'm well aware of this body's weaknesses. Luckily, though, I just may have found a solution."

"A solution? What is it?!" one familiar asked eagerly.

"_A human girl_."

{{{/}}}

When Kirihito awoke the next day, he felt terribly groggy. He had woken up slightly before he had the previous morning, which was good, even if it_was_ due to a sudden coughing fit.

Wondering how late he would be out, or how breezy it would get, Kirihito shrugged on a lightweight, black jacket that reached down to his knees. He once again informed the familiars that he would be in town and that he did not wish for any of them to accompany him.

He approached the doors to the café, this time taking the time to glance at the sign. Apparently, it was called Café Tsukino. It took Kirihito a moment before remembering that the girl's name had been Tsukino Ayaka. He wondered if her father owned it.

Kirihito opened the doors, the chime faintly ringing. The same employee glanced up and, slightly surprised, raised his eyebrows. "Back again, son?" he asked.

"Rude again, I see. What if I had decided to give this café just one more chance and you just ruined it?" Kirihito question, annoyance almost visible in the air around him.

"Then you'd probably be gone by now," the employee responded without much thought or emotion.

"You only get so many customers a day. I bet your boss would be rather annoyed to hear that you are scaring customers away." Kirihito leaned against the counter casually, hiding his lack of balance.

"I am the boss," he said matter-of-factly.

Kirihito smirked. It was so easy to get information off of humans. "I thought that girl yesterday called you 'Yamamoto-san'. Isn't the café named after the owner, Tsukino?"

"It was, it was. Until he died in a car accident eight months ago. Now, are you going to order something?" he asked, glancing at the television. Kirihito saw that some show was on and had to assume commercial break had just ended and, with it, Yamamoto's interest in the conversation had faded.

Kirihito ordered a coffee and watched as Yamamoto began to prepare it. "So was it that girl's father, then?" Kirihito questioned. Much to Kirihito's surprise, Yamamoto laughed loudly.

"Ah, so that's it, eh? The reason you're back? Not to mention how much more talkative you are today than yesterday. Taken an interest in Tsukino-chan? Now I feel like I've been used for information." He slid the prepared coffee across the counter.

Kirihito took it and frowned. "Why do you call her 'Tsukino', anyway? I assume you were close to the owner, even if not by blood. Wouldn't you call his daughter by her first name?"

"You're a perceptive kid, y'know that? That's very true. She was close to her father though and, as such, prefers to be called by the name they both shared. I'm afraid that you'll have to ask her if you want any more information, though. You don't seem the most trustworthy fellow, so I feel as though I might be giving information out to a stalker or something," Yamamoto said, smiling. His tone was anything but teasing, though.

Kirihito's eyes narrowed. "Fine," he said simply, taking a seat by the window.

"Are you just gonna wait for her?" Yamamoto suddenly asked. Kirihito turned toward him. "I hate to break this to you, but that's the first time she's visited in two months. Unless you plan on coming here all day, every day until she appears, then I haven't the faintest how you're going to find her."

Kirihito bit his lower lip in annoyance. If there was one thing he _didn't_ have, it was time. He needed her immediately. Then, he realized…

"No, she'll be here today."

Yamamoto was silent a moment, uncomprehending. "Excuse me?"

"She'll be here." Kirihito smirked. "After all, she spent the entire afternoon and evening chasing me around. She tried so hard that she must want to know the results."

Yamamoto laughed. "That's true, huh. Though I do question why you came this early. You do understand she's in high school, right?"

Kirihito looked over at him in silence for a moment. Then he realized that it was Tuesday and there was absolutely no way she would come before three-thirty or so. He gave no other reaction to this but a shrug, as though he had thought of this from the beginning. _Come to think of it,_ he realized. _I may need this man's approval.__He seems to be something like a father to her now._ He smiled up innocently at the man and said lightly, "But for all I know, she could've had an early dismissal."

Yamamoto smiled back. "Perhaps you're not all bad, son." _Well, that was simple enough._ "It is, however, only one-thirty right now. You might want to find something to do."

Kirihito thought a moment, before something struck him. As he stood, he said calmly, "I might just do that."

{{{/}}}

Kirihito would've never expected flower shopping to be so difficult. He didn't know what girls thought was "sweet", nor did he know any flower symbolism. He was also surprised to find flowers in odd colors. When he had questioned the clerks on where they had found flowers of such color, they snickered and told him that they were "obviously dyed". He was annoyed at hearing this, and found himself practically stomping out of the store.

After this little event, he couldn't easily go back into that store to buy flowers. As such, he found himself wandering much farther than he expected to in order to find another flower shop. When he finally had, he decided to just get a dozen red roses since he knew they were natural.

When he finally arrived back at the café, a now much more interested Yamamoto looked up at him, smiling without a word when he saw the bouquet. Kirihito simply went back to his chair and sat down, relief filling his body at the chance to finally rest from all the walking.

He sniffed the flowers, curious, but then started coughing suddenly. He then realized that, given his current physical health, breathing in pollen and such was far less than a great idea.

He laid them carefully on the other side of the table, in front of the seat opposite him. He walked up to the counter, ordered something light to eat and another coffee, before sitting back down.

A few moments later, he questioned, "So what time is it now?" After all, it might even be good for him to sound impatient at this point.

Yamamoto, as Kirihito had anticipated, laughed. "If you're right about her coming, she should be here in about a half hour. She's pretty consistent with what time she visits at."

"Is that so," Kirihito said thoughtfully, absentmindedly folding up the garbage in his hand and throwing in out.

"There's something I've just gotta ask you, son," Yamamoto said suddenly. Kirihito gave him a sideways glance. "How old are you?"

Kirihito paused a moment, cocking his head to the side. He couldn't very well give his true age, and he wasn't quite sure how old Kirihito was. He _did_, however, need to make sure it was an age that would be out of high school, yet not too old. "I'm nineteen."

"Oh, okay," Yamamoto said, nodding as though thinking to himself, _That ain't so bad._

Kirihito crossed his legs and rested his chin on his palm, again staring out the window. _She had better come_, he thought, irritated. He was having trouble keeping focus, and felt consciousness slowly drifting away. He drank some more coffee, shaking his head. He needed to focus. Then, at least, he would have something he needed to think about. Or else there wasn't much his mind or body had to do that would keep it awake. Then, finally, he glanced out the window again to see a figure half walking, half skipping toward the café. It was definitely her.

Today, her night-like hair was loosely curled and pulled to the side. She was wearing her school uniform. Kirihito suddenly realized that she must have been the previous day, as well. He just couldn't have been bothered to notice. She wore her skirt a bit longer than most girls, he noted. He figured, smirking, that she must run around so much that it was necessary.

When she entered the café, she began approaching Yamamoto before she noticed Kirihito. "Ah! Kirihito-sama!"

Yamamoto grunted. "What's with the 'sama'?"

Tsukino Ayaka exhaled loudly. "Yamamoto-san! He _is_ a customer! You should treat him with respect!"

"'Sama' is a bit overboard, y'know," Yamamoto replied, tapping his fingers lightly on the countertop.

"That just means that, between the two of us, there's a balance!" she said brightly.

He shrugged. "Works for me." Then, he simply turned back to the television.

Tsukino Ayaka looked at Kirihito. "You came back after all!"

"Eh? Aren't you the one who said we were meant to meet?" he asked, tone teasing, as, without standing, he handed her the bouquet. She took it, but just glanced between it and Kirihito for a moment, comprehension slowing entering her emerald eyes.

"Wait… What?!" Tsukino Ayaka almost yelled. Her face was a ridiculous shade of red that even made Kirihito go silent for a moment. Yamamoto chuckled lightly in the background.

Kirihito smirked. "Ah, you look rather flustered, hmm?"

"I was n-not expecting this…" she said slowly, looking anywhere but at him.

_Cute._ Kirihito immediately wiped the adjective from his thoughts. This was all just a survival method, after all.

"Do you not like it?" Kirihito asked, frowning and cocking his head in fake disappointment.

"Ah, no, no!" she insisted, looking back at him and smiling. She sniffed the roses. "I've never received a bouquet from a boy before!" she told him happily. Then, bowing, she said, "Thank you, Kirihito-sama."

He smiled at her. It seemed to be going better than expected. He had assumed he would've had to be more persistent to even get her to this point. The point where she acknowledged his "feelings". He doubted most people would've been convinced in approximately five minutes. Another detail about her to add to his list: she seemed to believe people innocent until proven guilty.

"Want to go somewhere?" Kirihito asked.

"Ah, sure!" she responded, curiosity seeping easily into her voice. She gave the flowers to Yamamoto for safekeeping, and walked back over to Kirihito's seat. "Where are we going to go?" she questioned.

Kirihito honestly hadn't expected this to be going so well and, as such, hadn't planned this far. So instead, he responded, "Hmm… I don't know. Where do you want to go?"

"Umm… Want to see a movie?" she asked, her eyes hopeful. He smiled at her in approval.

"Do you have one in mind?" He had never gone to the theater, nor did he know even the titles of modern movies.

"The Fox Yokai."

Kirihito's mind went blank for a moment, wondering why or even how she was mentioning Tomoe. He raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

She laughed awkwardly. "It's a historical movie that came out recently. As the title suggest, it's about a fox yokai. He's supposed to have these flame powers and I've heard that the special effects are extremely impressive."

_Ah, a movie_, Kirihito inwardly gave a sigh of relief. Tomoe's involvement in all of this would not have been appreciated. "Sure, let's go see that."

{{{/}}}

_That was ridiculous,_ Kirihito thought as they left the theater, a fake smile planted on his face. The fire-controlling fox spirit had done various misdeeds before changing his ways due to falling in love with a human woman. Surely, that was a bit far for a coincidence.

"The special effects really were amazing," Tsukino Ayaka sighed in awe. She turned to him. "Thanks for buying my ticket!" Kirihito just shook his head, not quite focused enough to give a verbal response.

When they were about halfway back to the café, Tsukino Ayaka seemed to finally fully come back to reality. She looked at Kirihito and cocked her head. "Did you enjoy it?"

He smiled at her. "Of course," he lied. "Thanks so much for humoring me and going out with me. It must have been odd, given that I've known you for only a day."

"Hmm, that's true. But I truly do believe that we were meant to meet, for whatever reason that may be," she said. Then, suddenly overly excited again, she added, "By the way, I'm going to keep this ticket stub! I keep all my ticket stubs so that I never forget a single movie I've watched."

"Really?" Kirihito asked, making his voice sound much more interested than he really was.

"I do something similar with people, too. Whenever I meet someone, even for the briefest moment, I write about them in a journal. I don't like to forget, you know?" she asked.

His interest was actually piqued now as, even though he had met plenty of irrational humans, he had never heard of someone doing something quite like that. He was going to question her on it, before he began coughing again.

He coughed into his arm, and was relieved that he was in the habit of wearing black. He could tell that a few drops of blood had come out in this coughing fit, and it would've been problematic had Tsukino Ayaka seen it.

She looked at him worriedly as the fit settled down. "Do you still have a cold?"

He smiled, not at all in the mood to continue with his act. "Unfortunately, a bit of it still seems to be present. I believe some of it may simply be allergies, however, so I should be fine soon. Thank you for your concern."

They had finally arrived back at the café. "I'm going to stay here with Yamamoto-san for a bit, would you like to join us?" she asked.

"As much as it would please me, I'm afraid that I really should rest if I want to get better soon. Say, is there any way to contact you?"

She took out a piece of paper and a pen, writing something carefully before giving it to him. "My phone number," she stated.

"Thank you," he said, forcing himself to stay steady as he bowed. She walked back into the store, and as soon as she did, Kirihito frowned. He felt horrid. He knew that, with someone like her, he couldn't rush things any more than he would already have to, so he simply sighed and began walking back to his shrine. It had to have been eight by then which, though it wasn't very late, was tiring for his weak body.

_Just a few more days,_ he thought to himself.

{{{/}}}

**A/N Thank you to the kind person who reviewed this! I really appreciated it!**

**Edit: Okay for some reason I wrote the wrong name three times in a row... I'm so embarrassed *weeps***


	3. Chapter 3-Fight

"Back again?"

Yamamoto, for once, was actually working. It seemed as though he was cleaning a bit, as he threw a rag to the other side of the counter and walked toward the cash register. He looked more awake than usual for some reason, his eyes brighter and the slight wrinkles around them more subtle. Perhaps he even looked a bit younger.

Kirihito didn't respond. He simply walked up to him and ordered a coffee. "Y'know, son, she really doesn't come by often."

Kirihito smirked, "And what makes you think she won't come for me?"

Yamamoto laughed warmly. "I don't know if I should be bothered by your confidence, or appreciate it. In some ways, I really question you, but in others, I actually like you," he told Kirihito.

Kirihito was a bit surprised at this. While he had assumed that Yamamoto at least had an acceptance for him, he had also assumed that Yamamoto, at the very least, wasn't fond of him. This was all positive for Kirihito, though, and he decided that talking more with Yamamoto wouldn't hurt.

"Did you work here before Tsukino-san died?" Kirihito asked, his voice weaved with innocent curiosity.

Yamamoto set down the coffee as Kirihito held out his credit card. Swiping it, Yamamoto thought a moment. "I suppose so. Really, it was more like he paid me to slack off. Perhaps it was the company, I really don't know." Yamamoto gave back the card before speaking up again. "You see, he was my brother-in-law. I'm Tsukino-chan's uncle on her mother's side. My sister unfortunately ran off with some rich man when she was young, though, so her father didn't have much of a companion when Tsukino wasn't around. I'm surprised he let me work here after everything my sister did to them…."

"Oh?" Kirihito's voice had taken on a darker tone. "Do you only care for her out of guilt then?"

Yamamoto's smile saddened. "Well, I won't deny that being part of it. Really, I started taking care of her because of that, but she's a really good kid, y'know? You love her, right? It's for the same reasons that you feel romantic love towards her that I feel like taking care of her, more out of a fatherly love. She's just truly a remarkable individual. More than you know, trust me. For instance, I bet you'd never guess that she's on the top of her class in Academics, or that she's her school's girls' kendo team captain. She can also speak quite a bit of English."

"Is that so?" Kirihito asked, his mind wandering. It was surprising indeed, and Kirihito began to wonder if he should find someone else, considering her cleverness could be an issue… But he'd already come so far. She was an easily swayed by emotions, anyway, and it seemed to easily pull her away from logic. There shouldn't be much of a problem.

Yamamoto smiled proudly. "Yep, that's Tsukino-chan for you. But you're right, I suppose. She'll come back for you if she thinks you're waiting, regardless of what her feelings for you may be. That's the way she is. She never wants to be a burden."

Kirihito bowed slightly, attempting to act polite for once, and took the coffee back to his normal seat. He stared out the window blankly for a while. He had come slightly later than usual, knowing that she had school, but he still came far earlier then necessary. Looking at the wall clock, he found that he had two hours yet.

It was odd how he was already starting to get used to the calmer, ordinary human days. He was used to practically always being busy and, when not, going on violent sprees. This was new and, though not much happened, it was almost entertaining.

When the girl finally arrived, she was… different. She was smiling, but she looked worn out, and her hair was a disorganized mess of tangles. There was something stuck in the night-like strands that stained parts of her skin, and Kirihito could've sworn it was blood.

"Ah, hi!" Ayaka said, a soft sigh under the usual excitement of her voice.

Kirihito was silent for a moment as he looked her up and down. She fidgeted. "Did you get in a… fight?" he asked, disbelief seeping into his features. She was such a goody-two-shoes… at least he thought.

She gave a light laugh and waved it off. "Sort of… It was one-sided, though. I have slight…" She trailed off a moment, as though trying to find a different word to use, before sighing and finishing, "Bullying issues."

"To this extent?" Kirihito asked, walking over and slipping the blood-stained lock through his fingers. She looked at it nervously, before nodding awkwardly. "That isn't slight," he said as he released his hold on it.

"Well, it's not like I don't have friends," she said, her voice stubborn. "It could be worse."

"And it could be better," Kirihito pointed out, raising his eyebrows.

Ayaka gave a warm smile at this. "That it could."

An awkward silence followed this. Ayaka nervously fidgeted as Kirihito continued to look her over, cocking his head to the side. The only sound was the low chatter taking place in Yamamoto's television.

"Yamamoto-san, I'm taking your niece out to get cleaned up," Kirihito announced as he pulled Ayaka out the door. Yamamoto looked at them a moment, and then turned back to the screen. They were already out the door.

"Kirihito-sama, I'm… bloody," she said slowly.

Kirihito faced her and raised his eyebrows. "Which is why I'm taking you out," he said.

"But won't that arouse suspicion?" she asked, looking down at the specks of blood on her shoes.

This honestly hadn't even crossed Kirihito's mind. Kirihito was so used to going on getting into trouble out of boredom that he didn't even notice odd glances his direction when he had obviously just been in a fight. He couldn't tell her this, of course, so he just looked at her a moment before simply stating, "It'll be fine."

She looked at him doubtfully, but Kirihito continued to drag her along, her wrist held firmly in his fingers.

{{{/}}}

It was only natural, Kirihito supposed, that the hair stylist would give them an odd look. At least Ayaka had already cleaned off her skin and bandaged her cuts. Still, the stylist immediately opened her mouth to speak, but one glare from him caused her to reconsider.

Ayaka nervously fidgeted as the stylist hesitantly cleaned her hair and separated the black locks, warily glancing at an expressionless Kirihito from time to time. After the stylist was satisfied with the state of Ayaka's hair, she began to dry it, carefully but swiftly pulling her fingers through the strands of hair. When she finished, she asked—very pointedly—if they were also looking to get a haircut. Not at all to the stylist's surprise, they declined, paid, and immediately headed out.

"Where to next, Kirihito-sama?" she asked quietly, not sure what Kirihito's mood was, considering his face was refusing to show any emotion for some reason.

"Mnn? Oh, new clothes. Any store in particular that you like?" he asked, giving a slight smirk in vague assurance that he wasn't in a bad mood.

"Well, there's the secondhand—"

"Nope. New. It's on me," he stated, his tone leaving no room for questioning.

"Ah, you sure?" she asked, voice uncertain. He raised an eyebrow, as though daring her to actually wait for an answer to that question. "Okay, thanks. Then let's just go where you want to go…?"

The edges of his lips turned up slightly. "I don't frequent women's clothing stores."

"Neither do I, so I won't really be much help."

Kirihito glanced over at her, before looking forward as they continued to walk nowhere in particular. "Okay, then what stores do your friends shop at?"

"I guess they wander around the mall? I've never gone shopping with them, and I generally zone out when they speak about shopping," she said, embarrassment leaking into her voice.

"The mall's pretty far, though. How about we go to the area a few blocks down that basically just has the big chain clothing stores?" he asked, hoping that she would at least know what the general area was.

"Sounds great!" she shouted happily, her step becoming a bit more bouncy.

{{{/}}}

When they arrived at the first store, the look on Ayaka's face told Kirihito that she was utterly clueless. She glanced oddly at the clothes, as though they were some new and unique sight she had never seen before. Perhaps a trending teen clothing store was not the best first stop. Considering her personality, the clothing articles didn't seem like things she's wear. Crop tops and ripped short shorts were a bit immodest for the bright and cheerful individual.

Ayaka looked over at some particularly short and semi see-through skirts with a questioning gaze. "Isn't this a bit..."

Kirihito sighed. "That's the thing about popular clothing stores. You have to pick and choose what you like."

After a few moments of Ayaka looking through the racks and Kirihito silently leaning against a nearby wall, Ayaka spoke up. "Say, Kirihito-sama, what clothing do you think would look good on me?" She turned around, smiling, utterly unaware of what a total mistake she might've made.

Keeping her nature in mind, it was obvious that Ayaka wouldn't want to be rude and dismiss any suggestions. For Pete's sake, Kirihito could have suggested the sheer micro miniskirts and she wouldn't have it in her to not take his advice. It would've been entertaining, too, except he just didn't _feel_ like it for some reason.

He walked up to a shelf, asked for her size, and brought down some jeans, a simple t-shirt, and a striped sweatshirt. He then thought a moment, before finding a scarf and hat, too. He handed them to her.

"That was quick," Ayaka said, pure awe in her expression.

Kirihito shrugged. "Girls always seem to make shopping more difficult for themselves."

When she was dressed to find that everything fit well, Kirihito asked a clerk for a pair of scissors. He cut off the tags, somewhat amazed of her trust. Honestly, he wouldn't trust someone he had only known for a few days enough to let them have scissors anywhere near him. He handed them to the cashier, taking out his wallet and pulling out the money.

When they had left the shop, Kirihito was hardly surprised when she bowed deeply to thank him. She lifted her head back up and grinned, making a bandage on her cheek start slipping off. He sighed, trailing his fingers across the thin material, making it stick again. She flushed ever so slightly.

She glanced at her watch. "Oh! I've got to go! Homework and such. Thanks again, Kirihito-sama!"

Kirihito nodded and, with that, Ayaka's figure disappeared in the semi-crowded streets.

{{{/}}}

**A/N Sorry this took so long! It's shorter, too :/ Exams and such were going on, but now I'm on break! Look forward to seeing more from me in the coming weeks!**


	4. Chapter 4-Call

"Kirihito-sama, did your outing go well?"

"I spent about fifty thousand yen on a girl I met two days ago, yet I still have not taken any energy from her," Kirihito practically spat. He tossed his coat to the side and aggressively kicked his boots off. He wasn't even mad, really—he just knew he _should_ be. Especially when his vision was starting to fade now and then.

"Is she that hard to obtain?" the surprised familiar questioned, picking up the discarded jacket and shoes.

"No," Kirihito sighed. "No, not at all."

"Kirihito-sama?" The voice was now stained with incomprehension. "Is something bothering you?"

He brought his palm to his forehead, a headache now forming. "Yes."

{{{/}}}

Winter was approaching.

Overnight, the temperature had dropped several degrees, but it was still not yet freezing weather. Kirihito secured a muffler around his neck, covering his mouth, before stepping out into the much unwanted breeze. He was _not_ going to be walking anywhere with Ayaka today.

He walked purposefully to Café Tsukino, rubbing his hands together to keep his blood flowing. He had waited until the early afternoon to go out, since the sun would bring some warmth. That, however, did not make him any less relieved when he walked through the café's doors.

"Whoa, it's not _quite_ that cold out there," Yamamoto said, watching as Kirihito came in and shivered.

"I've been… sick lately," Kirihito somewhat honestly explained, walking up to the counter without even bothering to order—Yamamoto was already getting the coffee.

"Don't pass it on to Tsukino-chan," Yamamoto warned, holding out the steaming cup.

"I'm not contagious," Kirihito replied, accepting the coffee and routinely sitting in his usual seat. _It's so warm here_, Kirihito thought. Then, when Ayaka came smiling through the door, his thoughts continued, _In more ways than one._ Though, naturally, he shook the thought away.

"Welcome again, Kirihito-sama," she greeted, bowing. Kirihito nodded in response.

"Why are you two so formal, anyway?" Yamamoto asked, his voice curious. "I mean it's not like this kid's just another customer anymore. I don't know what you think of him, Tsukino-chan, but he's a friend, at the very least. Probably calls you by your first name already, knowing that brat."

"He's never called me by name," Ayaka responded, cocking her head to the side. "Though I'm not sure why."

They both looked to Kirihito, as though waiting for an answer. He shrugged.

"I'm merely not in the habit of addressing individuals by name," he responded confidently, lifting his coffee to his mouth.

"Aren't you fresh out of high school, boy?" Yamamoto questioned, his expression suspicious.

"Yeah," Kirihito said calmly. "And there was the class rep and the soccer captain and the student council secretary… "

Yamamoto shook his head and smiled, amusement shown clearly on his face. "Wow, boy. That's a bit cold, even for you."

Kirihito looked over to Ayaka to find her completely unfazed. She blinked as Kirihito stared at her, taking in her appearance. She was apparently rather fond of the clothing he had picked out for her, as she was wearing the scarf, hat, and sweater. She removed the hat, pink lightly dusting her face as she realized why his gaze was still on her.

"Ah, um," she started, looking awkwardly to the side. Then, making sure to look back at him like the polite girl she was, she smiled nervously and said, "Well, they're really nice!"

Kirihito found himself laughing. Not just smirking, but actually laughing whole-heartedly. She bit her lip as she watched him. Yamamoto stared at him, having to keep his jaw from dropping. Kirihito stood up and ruffled her hair.

"You don't have to try to come up with excuses!" he shouted, beginning to calm himself. His lightness was shone clearly in his eyes, and Ayaka grinned, ruffling his hair back.

"They _are_ nice, though!" she shouted, excitedly. Kirihito swatted her hand away playfully, placing his hand back on her head. He took a step back, creating a distance in which he could reach her, but she couldn't reach him.

She gave a fake pout. "Not fair," she whined.

"You are _so_ bad at acting," he told her, trying to put on a concerned face, but failing as a chuckle escaped his lips.

She smiled as she took a step forward, making him take a step back. "I wasn't trying!" she shouted.

"And I am _very_ glad to hear that," Kirihito replied, mixing exaggerated relief into his tone, as he backed up from yet another step forward by Ayaka.

The usually so innocent-looking girl actually _smirked_. "I'll have you know I was assigned to play the main female lead when my class put on a play for last year's cultural festival," she said, voice informative, as she raised her eyebrows. She took another step forward, he took another step back… and hit the wall.

Kirihito couldn't help but laugh yet again as Ayaka, looking very accomplished, took one more step forward and tussled his hair, keeping her hand there just as Kirihito had left his hand on her head.

Kirihito held his hands up and shouted, "You win, you win!" His tone was dramatic as he waved an imaginary white flag.

Ayaka grinned as she brought her hand back to her own hair to try to make it tidier. Kirihito felt the corners of his lips tug up again as he noticed that she was actually making it _worse_. He stepped up to her and moved her hands, gently threading his fingers through her tangled hair. Her forest eyes looked up at him in uncertainty as a deep flush creeped up her cheeks. Kirihito found himself suddenly sliding his finders down to her cheek. He smiled warmly at her…

Then he removed his hand so quickly that Ayaka couldn't even see it. His thoughts swirled around haphazardly in his mind as Ayaka looked at him with widened and confused eyes and he blinked unnaturally down at her. _What am I _doing?_I'm getting too into this act, I suppose.__I need to get energy from her.__I need to find my body.__I need to get life energy from her.__I need to not be wasting my time chatting with this girl at a café.__I just need to get life energy from her.__I need to be faster and not… not…__What?_

_Not get worked up over nothing,_ Kirihito thought bitterly.

"I'm afraid I'm beginning to feel unwell. If you'd excuse me," Kirihito said, walking towards the door. She turned to him, but immediately turned back at the sound of her phone ringing.

"Yes? Oh, hi. Yeah, I'm fine… What?"

Not bothering to question who it was, Kirihito continued to walk to the door until…

"_No way._ A _mixer_?"

His hand was already on the door, pushing it open. The breeze came in, quickly bringing the temperature. He made no move to close the door again, nor to leave.

"You know I don't do those kinds of things!" She sounded almost desperate, and she fidgeted nervously with her fingers. "That's unsafe and just not… You're short one person?" She sounded _concerned_ now. "But I can't go when I don't have any interest in them! That's rude…" _Was she honestly worried about being _rude_?!_ " Hello? Did you hang up? Hello?!"

The door slammed loudly behind Kirihito.

{{{/}}}

Kirihito sighed, shivering slightly as he sat on a bench in the nearby park. A mixer was natural for girls her age, he supposed. He found himself uncomfortable with the idea of her going to one, though.

…But why?

He thought a while, before deciding on the only answer he could think of. If the girl went to a mixer and got a boyfriend, that would be problematic for his plan. She wasn't one to two-time, so he would hardly be able to keep her as a life energy supply as he had intended. It was only natural to want her as far away from mixers and blind dates and such as possible.

Only natural.

_What am I worrying about, anyway?_ Kirihito wondered. _She obviously didn't want to go.__She was way against it, really.__So why should she go?__She shouldn't.__Why would she go…?_ Kirihito frowned.

_It's a favor to a friend._

"Son!"

Kirihito snapped his head towards the origin of the sudden shout—Yamamoto. Surprise flickered through Kirihito's eyes as he cocked his head in apparent annoyance. Yamamoto smiled and waved as he walked over and took a seat next to Kirihito.

"You're going, aren't you?" the man asked, his tone almost forgetting the question mark out.

Kirihito gave him a sideways glance, leaning back on the bench with his hands behind his head. "Where?" he asked.

"Don't give me that, son. You stopped in the doorway to listen," Yamamoto lectured, rubbing his temples.

Kirihito crossed his legs. "And what if I _am_ going?"

"It's the karaoke bar near Tenshi Station."

If Kirihito had been drinking something, he would have spit it out. "_Excuse_ me?"

"The karaoke bar near Tenshi," Yamamoto repeated, his voice calm as could be. "That's where Tsukino-chan is going. Tomorrow at six in the evening."

"And why would you tell me this?" Kirihito asked skeptically.

Yamamoto laughed. "Think about it, boy. You may seem to have some stalker-like tendencies, but I'd much rather Tsukino hang with you than with some random boys she's never met. Especially at a mixer. Those can have very bad crowds. I'd almost prefer if you were around someplace near to watch over her."

Kirihito smiled, almost joking. "And what makes you think I'd go?"

"Are you really asking that?" Yamamoto questioned, eyebrow raised.

Kirihito stood up and walked away, waving behind him in a silent and stubborn "thank you". He could hear another of Yamamoto's chuckles behind him.

_Tomorrow.__Six o'clock.__Near Tenshi._

{{{/}}}

**A/N Thanks so much to Honeydewmelon56 for all of your support! It meant a lot!**


	5. Chapter 5-Mixer

Kirihito paced around in circles, irritation practically radiating out of him, from when he woke up until his body couldn't take it anymore. Murmurs spread through the few familiars, each trying to find some way to approach the anxious individual. They were certain it would've helped had Kirihito informed them of what was making him so irritated.

They felt relief when, at about five in the evening, he threw on his jacket and boots, heading out the door, an aggravated grin spreading across his face. Hopefully, the issue would be taken care of. And, hopefully, that wouldn't end in someone's death.

{{{/}}}

Kirihito arrived at the karaoke bar at half past five. Initially, he had planned to just wait somewhere inconspicuous outside. However, with the still dropping temperatures, Kirihito found his body to be far too weak to handle it. As such, he made his way inside, insisted he was waiting for someone, and leaned against one of the hardly decorated walls. About twenty minutes later, he pushed himself off and began leaving the building.

"Sir?" some curious employee questioned.

Kirihito smirked and, hitting himself softly on the skull, replied, "Apparently, my friend isn't showing up."

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry to hear that," she said in an I-would-meet-you-anywhere-in-a-heartbeat voice. _Annoying_, he thought, walking out the door. If he tried, he could practically make any girl immediately willing to go out with him. _That girl…_

Perhaps it was because of her innocence, but that particular girl was not one to date someone for good looks, or immediately accept an invitation from an attractive stranger. Though she accepted Kirihito's invitation, she had met him on a separate occasion and thought him as one of her uncle's clients. She also made it rather clear that she wouldn't be immediately willing to start a relationship.

If Kirihito were to think back to the previous day's events, he would see that it would likely be relatively easy to get the girl now. However, his actions were unplanned then, and he'd rather not think too much about what happened.

He walked around to the side of the building, where he wouldn't be visible from the entrance. Only a few minutes later, he watched as Ayaka joined a group of teenagers that had slowly accumulated since he'd first entered.

A soft smile flickered across his face, before he forced it away. She was wearing white boots with navy legwarmers, a blue knee-length skirt, a jacket, and… the scarf he had gotten her. She adjusted it over her mouth, shivering slightly. No one bothered doing her the favor of offering to wait for everyone else inside.

Two more boys arrived, and Kirihito did not like the look of one of them. He seemed to be the generic teenage boy who bought expensive wristbands and earrings and had a lot of girls. His hair was horribly died to make a weird off-blonde, and he tattoos raced clearly up his arms before disappearing into his loose tank top. And it seemed as though Kirihito wasn't the only one questioning this particular individual. Ayaka glanced at him awkwardly, pulling the scarf more tightly around her. Kirihito also had the feeling that she would be worried that she was being too quick to judge, and that she shouldn't worry about someone due to their appearance. And this was why Kirihito had to be here.

They disappeared into the warmth of the karaoke bar. Kirihito walked in as well, to find the female clerk from earlier sending him a questioning glance. Kirihito shrugged. "Apparently, my friend is merely late. He wanted me to go ahead in. If someone by the name of…" Kirihito hesitated a moment in thought, before smirking and continuing, "_Tomoe_ comes through, lead him to me."

Not understanding the sudden humor in his tone, the clerk cocked her head to the side. "Yes, sir."

Kirihito looked around the corner to see Ayaka's group entering the second to last room on the left. "Tell him I'm in the last room. The one on the left."

"Will do."

{{{/}}}

"Na. Na. Nananananana. Na. Nana…"

"You aren't even trying to actually sing the lyrics anymore!" Some girl with an annoyingly high voice giggled.

"'Ey, Tsukino-chan, why don't you sing one?" This voice belonged to the suspicious-looking man. Kirihito had figured it out near the beginning, when he had first leaned against the wall in between the rooms. The walls were pretty thick, so as to not let too much sound through, but when someone was this close to the wall, they could hear almost everything going on. _This is the _seventh_time in the last _hour_that you have requested her to sing.__Give it up, you little brat._

As the seconds pushed forward, Kirihito found himself only getting more and more annoyed. That, however, didn't stop the brief feeling of relief that flooded through him as he heard the kind-hearted girl apologize and refuse yet again.

"Oh, come on Ayaka-chan!" This was the high-pitched voice again, and Kirihito realized that the informality must have meant that _she_ was the one who had practically forced Ayaka into this. _Her._ _She _was the friend. _She seems so annoying_, Kirihito thought, probably actually mumbling it beneath his breath. In fact, Kirihito was certain that she was only taking advantage of Ayaka. _And you claimed to have friends.__How can you consider _her_a friend?_

Kirihito stood up abruptly at a knock on the door. He sat down on the couch and shouted that the person could enter. The clerk from earlier came in, asking if he wanted a refill on his water, to which he gave a positive reply.

"Just how late _is_ your friend?" the woman asked, appearing again with the water.

His eyes flickered up to hers briefly, before dropping again. "Late."

"Heh. You aren't waiting for a 'friend', are you? Is it a girl? She's obviously stood you up by now," she told him, most likely trying to convince him to invite_her _out some time.

Kirihito sighed. "No, she's here."

"Oh." The reply was simple, but as the clerk glanced towards the other room, the implication spoke for itself. She assumed that this girl whom he was waiting for was cheating on him and that he had followed her there.

Kirihito sent her a glare. "You're assumption's wrong, not that it matters. I've been buying drinks and food, so I'd say you wouldn't want to chase me out of here. If you do, look forward to me having a word with your manager."

The clerk suddenly stood up straighter. "I'll leave you be then, sir," she stated, quickly leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

Kirihito sighed and walked back over to the wall, sitting down and leaning against it.

"Just once, Tsukino-chan! Please~" _Again_, Kirihito thought, officially even more aggravated than before.

"I'm sorry, but it's not really my thing. Forgive me!" _You're being way too nice.__Punch the guy and leave.__He's hitting on you.__You don't feel comfortable around him.__It's obviously more than just his appearance.__It's not just an assumption.__Just leave._

After another song, Ayaka spoke up. "I'm going to go to the restroom. If you'd excuse me…"

"Okay, Ayaka-chan, don't be long!"

"Yeah, Tsukino-chan, you still have to sing."

"Oh, give it a rest."

"Yeah, really. She just doesn't want to, dude."

"Then why'd she come to a karaoke bar?"

Kirihito heard a door open and close. Ayaka had left the room. As it always seems to be with groups, when one member leaves they all gossip about said member.

"She's way too straight-laced. Sorry, guys!" The voice belonged to Ayaka's friend and agitation was starting to give Kirihito a headache.

"I don't really mind that type of girl, though. It's fun to get them to loosen up. Kind of like a challenge," said the suspicious individual. _Well, obviously.__You were non-stop flirting with her._

"Is that so—hey, where are you going?!"

"To pick up the chick." The door opened and closed again.

Kirihito took a deep breath, clenching his fist to keep from moving. He really shouldn't reveal himself. All he needed to do was make sure she didn't get a boyfriend. Nothing else mattered.

Really, it didn't matter what that flirt did to her. As long as nothing made Ayaka fall in love with him, it shouldn't matter to Kirihito at all. As long as he could continue to use Ayaka, it shouldn't—didn't—matter. In fact, it might even be better if that boy harassed her a bit. The friend would be unlikely to provide any comfort and Ayaka would have no one to turn to. Except for the boy who'd been caring for her and treating her well. Who bought her clothes and cheered her up without asking for anything in return. She'd have to turn to Kirihito.

So this should all work well… Right?

Kirihito snapped out of his thoughts as he noticed blood slipping through his fingers. He unclenched his hand to find nail-shaped cuts on his palm, crimson liquid quickly pouring out. He calmly stood up and walked to the table, where he found a tissue box. He dabbed at the injury, focusing on only it. Because the other thing shouldn't matter. None of his focus should be on the other thing. Because the other thing was nonsense that didn't even deserve to be named.

So why was he sitting on a coach in the karaoke bar he had _followed_ her to, cleaning cuts he'd given himself out of worry _for_ her.

_Perhaps it's another problem with this human body_, Kirihito thought, crumpling the bloody tissue up and throwing it in the trash. _I'll just leave._

He stood up and made his way to the door, stretching as he stood. He shrugged on his jacket and turned the knob, only to here an unfortunately already familiar voice saying, "So want to go somewhere, just the two of us?"

"I'm sorry. I really came to have a good time _with_ my friend. I couldn't just leave after she was so kind to invite me."

Kirihito stood, still inside his room, the door cracked barely far enough for him to make the two out. They were a few yards away, right outside of the women's bathroom. He must've waited for her to come out to corner her. So very unoriginal.

"I doubt she'll mind. She invited you so you could have a bit of fun, right? What do you say?"

"I'm sorry. I would really like to get back now. Would you mind… moving out of my way?" Ayaka asked. She was fidgeting again, pulling on her scarf. Kirihito wondered why she was still wearing it. She had taken off her jacket to reveal a simple t-shirt, so why didn't she take off the scarf. She lifted the scarf over her face a bit more, probably hoping to hide her nervousness.

"Take that scarf off so I can see your pretty face," the boy said, leaning closer. She stepped back to a wall.

"I don't want to get cold," she said, avoiding his unwanted gaze.

_Just get out of there already.__He's not likely to move, you should've had plenty of time to see his character, so why are you being so dang polite?_

"Hey, I just gave you a compliment," he said, voice harsher. Ayaka flinched. "Anyway, it's warm in here. Even if you get cold, I promise I'll keep you warm, okay? Let's go to another room or something, where we can be alone—"

"I apologize," Ayaka interrupted, her voice just slightly sterner. "I would like to get back now, though, so if you would step aside…"

The boy slammed his hand against the wall next to her face. Her eyes widened a moment, looking straight at his, before she quickly looked down. The boy slipped his hand under her chin, however, and forced her to look at him. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Hey, girl. _I_ am offering to hang with _you_, who has probably never had a boyfriend, or even been asked out. Show a bit of appreciation!"

"Never been asked out, huh." Kirihito found himself speaking, having left the room. He was now standing just a few feet away, frowning. He looked over the tattooed boy in annoyance, before glaring straight into his eyes. "If you would get your hands off of my girl," he stated sternly, unable to control the words leaving his lips. "I would greatly appreciate it."


	6. Chapter 6-Kiss

Ayaka's eyes fluttered open, and she cocked her head in absolute confusion. Kirihito took a moment to give her a soft smile and wink in reassurance, before turning to glare once again at the now agitated-looking individual.

"Are you suggesting that she's _your _girl?" he questioned, taking a step away from Ayaka and toward Kirihito.

"I don't believe it was an implication. Actually, I believe I stated it as a fact," Kirihito calmly responded, running his fingers through his hair.

"Ah, you think you're the neighborhood hero, don't you? Tsukino-chan wouldn't date an older man, not to mention go to a mixer _while_ dating him," the boy responded, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"You think you know her so well? I can't say I don't understand your assumptions, though. I would like to point out that her friend more or less forced her into coming. As you _obviously_ know, she doesn't even like to sing karaoke."

"Listening in, were you?"

"I _am_ her boyfriend after all. And my presence was needed, it seems," Kirihito said pointedly.

"Ah, Kirihito-sama, what are you doing here?" Ayaka interrupted, most likely worried about Kirihito's wellbeing.

"'_Sama'?!_ I really don't believe you're her boyfriend."

Kirihito shrugged. "She's always been extremely polite."

"Do you have any proof that you're her boyfriend?"

Kirihito sighed and frowned. "Do you have any proof I'm _not_?"

"I have plenty of reason not to believe you. You expect me to believe that _she_ is dating _you_. You look like a flirty playboy!"

Kirihito smirked. "Then surely you must have believed that she would never want to date a flirty playboy, so why would you even bother?" It was silent for a moment, before Kirihito spoke up again. "The scarf she won't take off? A gift from me." He had to avoid smiling at Ayaka when he saw her blush from the corner of his eye.

"That could easily be a lie. You heard the conversation we were just having. That would be easy to come up with."

Kirihito found himself sighing yet again. "I'm getting awfully sick of this." He easily pushed past the boy and stopped in front of Ayaka. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, her eyes widening as he did so. He lifted one hand and threaded his fingers in her hair, leaving the other arm around her waist. His lips lightly touched the skin of her cheek, before they pressed on her lips. She stiffened at first, but after a second, her body relaxed in his arms. He pulled away, but kept his arm around her waist as his propped his chin on top of her head. "So stay away from Ayaka, 'kay?"

The boy seemed taken aback, but he quickly let out, "You could've just done that to make me believe you!"

"Would someone really sexually harass someone to keep someone else from sexually harassing her? It would certainly take away your 'neighborhood hero' theory," Kirihito responded, feeling a pull on his lips. He'd won.

The boy came to throw a punch at him, but Kirihito used his free hand to grab his wrist, still not letting go of Ayaka. The boy shook off Kirihito's grip and stepped back, irritated.

"How can this girl, she must be a _sl_—"

Kirihito kicked him in the stomach, almost lifting him off the ground. "Go back into your karaoke session. Now."

After sending another glare at Kirihito, the boy scurried away. Kirihito let out another breath, lifting his hand off of Ayaka's waist and to his head. His headache was terrible.

"Thank you, Kirihito-sama," Ayaka said slowly. Kirihito looked over to find her avoiding his gaze, her face flushed. He smiled as he began heading back to the karaoke room. "Ah, where are we going? Aren't we leaving?"

"Are you joking? You're in a _t-shirt_," Kirihito stated, not bothering to turn towards her.

"I'm wearing a scarf," she mumbled.

He smirked. "I've been wanting to ask about that."

"I was a bit cold," she insisted. "People wear scarves when it's warm, anyway."

"Not _winter_ scarves. How aren't you hot?"

She was silent a moment. Then, "I feel safer with it on."

Kirihito grinned. "Glad to hear it, but you still need your jacket." He threw the door opened, immediately grabbing the attention of every person in the room, especially the blonde. He wrapped an arm around Ayaka again and pulled her towards him. "Ayaka's mine, okay?" Then, he sent a pointed look at the girl he was certain was her friend. "Don't force her into any more mixers, especially if you plan on just trash-talking her when she leaves the room." He let go of Ayaka and walked purposefully into the room, grabbed Ayaka's jacket—which, Kirihito noticed, just "happened" to be next to the blonde boy—and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Fingers gripping Ayaka's wrist, he left some money on the front desk before rushing out of the building. He let out a sigh. What was he even doing?

"Thank you, again," Ayaka mumbled. "May I ask what you were doing here?"

He smirked. "Yamamoto-san said that he preferred me over random boys you've never met."

She was trailing behind him still, not struggling against his grip on her wrist, but Kirihito could tell that she smiled. The muscles in her hand relaxed a bit. "He would do something like that, wouldn't he?" Kirihito nodded. "It was very kind of you to get my jacket for me, but, um, I can't get it on while you're holding my wrist."

Kirihito stopped walking, released her wrist, and turned around with a blank expression, watching as she slipped on her jacket, adjusting the scarf over it. She smiled at him in assurance that he could start walking again. But he didn't start walking again just yet.

He brought her to him, yet again, his arms around her waist, and kissed her. She flinched in surprise, but didn't pull away.

Kirihito was the one truly confused. What was he doing? And so naturally? His body hadn't even gotten his consent. Then, as though it was his plan all alone, he used the contact to take some energy from her. After all, wasn't this night the perfect moment? Any exhaustion she felt could be covered up by claiming that it related to the recent events.

He pulled away and, upon seeing her now pink and rather tired looking face, smiled lightly and ruffled her hair. "No more mixers, okay?"

"M'kay."

{{{/}}}

Kirihito had used public transportation on only few occasions, making the train ride much more interesting for him than the average person. As well as a lot more stressful.

As much as he liked to mess around with humans, he wasn't very fond of crowded places. He went to festivals and such on occasion, but he usually avoided especially crowded places.

And this was a train on which were many people coming home after business dinners and overtime work. There weren't even close to enough seats, and he had to reach awkwardly across Ayaka in order to hold onto the railing she was leaning against. Neither of them attempted to make eye contact.

When they reached the stop at which Ayaka needed to get off, she tapped him on the shoulder and eyed the doors.

"I'll walk you home," Kirihito said casually, looking down at her.

Finally meeting his gaze, Ayaka looked up and nodded. "Thank you."

As they walked, Kirihito watched his breath in the air, cocking his head slightly. It really _was_ rather cold, but Kirihito wasn't quite as affected by it. His headache was gone, too. Perhaps even that little bit of energy he took from Ayaka actually helped somewhat. Speaking of which…

Kirihito looked back at Ayaka, noticing the slight wobble in her step. He felt something well up in his chest that made him bite his lower lip. Hesitantly, he reached out and arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, making her lean on him.

"Ah, thanks."

"You thank people too much," Kirihito stated, giving her an irritated look.

Uncomprehending, Ayaka looked back in confusion. "But I really am grateful. You keep doing so much for me."

"You're too polite," Kirihito added.

"I'm not sure I understand," Ayaka responded. "Does my being polite… bother you?"

Kirihito sighed. "Yes." Ayaka flinched, and Kirihito realized that he really should've thought that answer over better. He quickly continued, "You don't have to be polite to guys like that. Smack them across the face and leave. A guy like that would be too stunned to go after you. He thought—knew—that you wouldn't do something like that, and that's why he targeted you."

He could sense the relief in her body at his explanation. "I understand Kirihito-sama."

"And you can stop with the 'sama'. It's making people question us."

"Us?" she asked, her gaze questioning.

He pretended to frown. "And here I thought you not rejecting my kiss—and twice—meant that you liked me, too!"

Heat welled up in her face and she adjusted her scarf over her mouth, before turning and even deeper red, most likely because she had remembered who had gotten her that scarf. "Oh, I see. That's not… incorrect."

"Heh. So stop with the 'sama'. I'm your boyfriend now, right?"

A smiled tugged at the corners of her lips until she was grinning. "Yeah, and I'm your girlfriend. Kirihito-kun, then?"

"Mori is fine," he stated.

"Mori-kun, then," she decided, still smiling.

They walked in silence for a while. Kirihito got lost in the usual circle of thoughts that always seemed to occur when Ayaka was around, and Ayaka fidgeted again with her scarf. When they had crossed the fifth street, Kirihito decided to start a conversation.

"Isn't there a closer station?" he asked. "This is a pretty long way to walk. There are quite a few stops for that train, so I assume there should be one nearby."

She thought for a moment, before explaining, "Well, there is a station about a block from my house, but the only way to actually get from there to my house is through someone else's property."

"So you have to walk this all the time?" Kirihito questioned, tilting his head back to look at what they'd already walked."

She shrugged. "I got used to it."

"Is that so," Kirihito responded, his tone thoughtful.

"Oh! But you've been sick! Sorry to have you walk so far!" she shouted suddenly. Kirihito almost let go of her shoulders in surprise of the sudden outburst.

"Don't worry about it. I'm fine now," he assured her. Then, teasing, he added, "Perhaps it was the kisses, hmm?" She turned crimson and all Kirihito could think was, _If only she knew_.

They finally arrived at her house a few moments later. It wasn't a house, really. It was an apartment in a very, very shabby—not to mention shady—complex. It was three stories high with metal stairs and horribly stained white walls. The perimeter was lined with dead grass, but it wasn't recent. The vegetation must've been dead through summer, too, at the very least.

"Here?" Kirihito asked.

Ayaka left his grasp, smiled, and nodded awkwardly. "Thank you for walking me!"

Kirihito was silent for a moment, but Ayaka stayed, realizing he still had something to say. Then he whispered, "Are you really okay?"

She grinned. "Yep! I had a really good day today, actually!"

Kirihito raised an eyebrow. "You must really enjoy my kisses."

She laughed lightly. "That, and you hadn't done that before. Not kiss, I mean, but call me by name. It was the first time." Then, embarrassed, she ran up a flight of stairs and through an apartment door.

Kirihito smiled for a moment, watching the door close behind her, before he, too, left.


	7. Chapter 7-Issues

"Son, are you sure you're not a stalker?" Yamamoto asked, his face nothing but serious. He had actually turned off the television for once. His focus was entirely aimed at Kirihito.

Kirihito eyes twinkled with amusement for a brief moment, before he said, "Ayaka's boyfriend wants to know where her school is. What's so strange about that?"

Yamamoto's expression was somewhere in between intense worry, excitement, and curiosity. Kirihito wondered how he could even pull off such a face. After a moment, Yamamoto asked, "Are you glad I gave you the information of the mixer?"

Kirihito grinned, leaning across the countertop. "_Very_."

"Brat."

"So, what do you say, uncle?" Kirihito asked, his tone teasing. He hadn't noticed until now, but he rather enjoyed talking with Yamamoto. He seemed reasonable, but still flexible.

Yamamoto's mouth twitched upwards. "Don't you go there. But anyway, she goes to Hamasaki High. It just a few blocks south of here. It's a Saturday, so she has a half day. Let's see… I believe she gets out in about a half hour."

"Knew I could count on you," Kirihito said, winking.

"Don't get too confident, boy. It's starting to get annoying," Yamamoto said, but his entertained expression betrayed him.

{{{/}}}

"Hey, look over there!"

"How old do you think he is?"

"Not too much older than us… Wanna try picking him up?"

"Are you an idiot?! If he's here, he's obviously waiting for someone!"

"That, or we'll start calling him 'sensei' soon!"

"Then we aren't _allowed_ to flirt with him…"

Kirihito found gossiping teenage girl to be incredibly annoying, but perhaps it was just because he always overheard gossip about _him_. It made a chill go down his spine when a bunch of sixteen-year-old girls were staring daggers at his face. And avoiding every single one of their gazes always proved to be difficult.

Today, however, it was even more annoying. To think he had to go through _this_ for _that _girl… She'd better be grateful.

While Kirihito had certainly never hated being the center of the attention, he also liked having the freedom to move. If he was at some random mall with all eyes on him, he could still cause chaos without any issues.

At the school of his new "girlfriend", he wasn't able to do much but lean against the school gate. He got bored of this rather quickly, though, and decided to speak with one of the gossipy girls.

"Excuse me, but do you know where I might find Tsukino Ayaka?"

The girl immediately flushed and nervously answered, "Ts-Ts-Tsukino-chan, h-huh? I th-think I saw Oshiro-kun and the g-guys taking her s-s-somewhere…? Behind the s-school, I believe."

"Ah… And I suppose you didn't think to alert a teacher or something?" Kirihito interrogated, agitated.

"H-huh? O-of course not. I mean I d-date one of those g-guys," she answered, unashamed. Kirihito started walking away. "W-wait! What does Tsukino-chan have to do w-with you?"

Kirihito craned his neck toward her and smirked. "As you humans would say, she's my girlfriend." He watched with amusement as her eyes widened, before walking calmly around the building, his eyes narrowed.

How often did this girl get herself into bad situations? He hadn't known her for a week, yet she had already shown up bloody, gotten cornered at a mixer, and now bullied behind the school?

Then it hit him.

_"__Oshiro-kun" must have done that to her._ He remembered sliding her messy locks through his fingers, examining the droplets of blood that rested there. He remembered the eyes that attempted to hide fright as they looked down at the crimson liquid that stained the usually pristine shoes…

He turned the corner to find his eyes met with the image of a boy almost as tall as himself holding a blade to Ayaka's cheek, slowly cutting into the skin. Fresh blood spilled quickly on the metal, all in what seemed to be slow motion. Steady laughs passed through the air as Ayaka simply avoided their gazes, not making any sound or movement.

Then the knife was flipped easily around, and Kirihito held it against the boy's neck. "Oshiro, I take it?"

The boy flinched away, managing to escape Kirihito's hold. "Yeah, what's it to you?"

Kirihito flipped the knife around in his fingers, examining the red stain. "Do you know whose blood this is?"

Oshiro looked confused, but answered nonetheless. "That chick's, of course."

"And do you know who that chick is?" Kirihito questioned, his cold gaze locking on that of the boy's.

"She knows her own name. Ask her," he replied, nodding toward Ayaka.

Kirihito sighed, looking over Oshiro's two companions, neither of which seemed especially intimidating. "I'm not talking about a name—I know it well." He glared back at Oshiro. "Her name's Ayaka, and she's my girlfriend."

"Mori-kun!' Ayaka suddenly exclaimed. Kirihito's head snapped to her, worried at the sudden outburst. Her hand covered the cut on her face, but the blood was slipping through her fingers. One of her eyes was closed slightly in pain. But none of that was responsible for her interruption. Kirihito's eyes locked on the blood dripping down the back of her hands, to her wrists.

"What is it, Ayaka?" he asked, voice holding no emotion. Her blood was still reflected in his eyes, and the blood of those who had spilt it still stained his thoughts.

She shivered slightly, but looked him straight in the eye, pulling his gaze back to her face. "Leave it. Please."

Kirihito went back to flipping the knife around in his hand. Looking down again at the blood on it, he gritted his teeth. "_Leave_ it?! You might be nice enough to endure all this—to keep them out of trouble, but _I am not._ They _physically _harm you and you think I should ignore it?!" He was shouting now, a drastic change from his earlier blank tone. Ayaka tilted her head in an attempt to grasp the situation. "I refuse, Ayaka. I refuse."

"But if _you_ hurt them, you're going to have a lot of issues," she mumbled. "Even if it's taken as defense, you still aren't even allowed to be on school grounds. It'd probably be fine in the end, but it's still a 'probably'. You're an adult and these are minors."

Kirihito stared at her a moment, surprised. That was the last thing to cross his mind as he ran into this situation. Then, he stated blankly, "I don't really care."

He turned back on the three boys who had done nothing but stand motionless. Perhaps they were simply confused about the situation, perhaps they were scared of Kirihito, or perhaps they were taken aback by Ayaka's defending them. It didn't really matter, though. They were still there. And, Kirihito suddenly noticed, there was just a speck of Ayaka's blood on Oshiro's cheek.

Something urgently tugged at Kirihito's wrist and, taken by surprise, he dropped the knife. He looked back, pure anger in his eyes, to see Ayaka. His expression calmed just slightly, but he still left a trace of annoyance in his features. "Ayaka?"

"Mori-kun, stop. Please. For me?" she asked, her eyes flickering to the boys behind Kirihito. They finally seemed to find this a good time to run off. Kirihito twitched in response, but didn't let his focus move from Ayaka.

"Why?" he asked her softly.

"I don't like when… people are injured. Especially when there's blood," she explained.

Kirihito removed her hand from her cheek, replacing it with his own. "And what do you think this is?"

She laughed lightly. "It's different when it's me."

Kirihito let out a long breath. "It's different for me, too. It's much worse." He took a clean handkerchief out of his coat pocket, pressing it against cut. She gave a crooked smile and sighed in defeat.

"I'll tell you if it happens again, okay?" she said, her tone genuine. She took the handkerchief from Kirihito and dabbed her cheek. He was certain that, had she not been such a ridiculously polite individual, she would have rolled her eyes.

"Heh. Do that. Unless," Kirihito began, cocking his head to the side in fake innocence. "You would like me to come to your school before class, at lunch, and after class."

She laughed. "Possessive much?"

"You can do what you want, but it becomes my business when you get hurt," he replied. Then, "And, yes, I'd imagine you know I can be a bit possessive by now." She grinned. "Nurses office?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Don't want anyone to find out about… this. If you don't mind. It's high school. Rumors spread quickly, right?"

It wasn't until now that Kirihito fully realized that he had never even been inside a high school, much less attended one. He had gathered basic education and, with the changing times, he was sure he had more than a high school level education. Regardless, he couldn't very well claim he understood how social situations worked in Ayaka's high school.

He sighed. "Then let's get you to Yamamoto-san." Then it dawned on him. "Ayaka… Why hasn't Yamamoto said anything about this to the school?"

Ayaka shrugged, still smiling. "I asked him not to."

"Is that… so," Kirihito replied, a dark tint entering his gaze.

{{{/}}}

"Hmm? Are they really that good this year?" Ayaka asked, practically laying across the counter.

"Yeah, their setter just transferred this year, and he's their best," Yamamoto replied.

It was after hours, but Yamamoto and Ayaka were _still _chatting. Kirihito sat in his usual seat, coffee in hand, as he tried not to die of boredom. Just how much longer could it go?

Then, remembering the location of her apartment, he suddenly spoke up. "Hey, Ayaka. Don't you have a train you need to catch?" He leaned his chin against him palm, a bored expression spread across his face.

"Oh!" Ayaka shouted in response, looking at the wall clock. "Thank you so much! I'll see you, Yamamoto-san, Mori-kun!" She sprinted out of the café, leaving total and utter silence behind her.

After a few minutes, Yamamoto asked, "Don't you have a train to catch?"

"No, I don't." Only a slight tinge of anger leaked into his words, but Yamamoto caught on.

"Is there a problem, boy?"

"Yes. The bigger issue, though, is that you are fully aware of this problem, but _will not do anything about it,_" Kirihito spat.

Yamamoto's eyes widened slightly, having never seen Kirihito angry before. Irritated, yes, but not angry. And this wasn't just angry, this was _furious_. "What, exactly, are you referring to?"

Kirihito took a deep breath, clenching his fist, as he tried to control his emotions. He was too angry to bother trying to rationalize them. The reason he was so angry about someone like her just wasn't the issue at the moment. The issue was that it _did_ anger him. And if it was something that angered him, it simply needed to disappear.

"Ayaka… She told you about her bullying issues, and the other day could simply not have been the first time she came back with such an appearance. You weren't surprised, she wasn't worried about your reaction… Regardles, you _knew_…"

Yamamoto's expression became calm again as he realized the issue. "Tsukino-chan can handle herself."

Kirihito stood up, rushed over to Yamamoto, and gripped the front of his shirt. "They had a_knife_ to her face, Yamamoto-'san', and I don't appreciate your staying uninvolved in this issue."

Yamamoto's eyes hinted at panic, but the rest of his expression remained unchanged. "She asked—"

"I don't care what she asked you!" he shouted. "She hates inconveniencing people, which goes for not only you, but the people doing this to her! She's too self-sacrificing to take care of herself! How is _this_ going to make amends for what your sister did?!"

Something between surprise and hurt darkened Yamamoto's face. Voice solemn, he replied, "I just don't know how to handle these situations."

Kirihito clicked his tongue, sending one last glare, before letting Yamamoto go. He turned around and, walking out of the store, told him, "You should figure out how. But since you 'don't know how to handle these situations', don't even bother. I'll just handle it then."

{{{/}}}

**A/N Thank you so much to yumiarantes for reviewing this story and being so supportive! It made me really excited to write more!**


	8. Chapter 8-Reasons

"Volunteering?"

Ayaka's principal was, to say the least, unthreatening. She was petite and rather old—Kirihito guessed around sixty-five. Wrinkles formed as she smiled at him, the way the elderly often look at young people. Perhaps the overall kindness and fragility of the lady was the reason he felt extreme discomfort as he stood before her.

He nodded. "Yes, I have a certain function which requires me to volunteer for a certain number of hours. The activities which we can do vary from interest to interest. Since my goals involve education, I was wondering if you would do me the honor of allowing me to tutor here."

Kirihito could only think of this as ridiculous. Yesterday was the first time he had not seen Ayaka since they had met. He realized quite a few things that day.

First, something felt off. Due to her constant presence during this time, her _not_ being there felt wrong somehow. And he wasn't waiting for her or finding her. He mostly slept, really. Though his body had been _better_ since the kisses, it still wasn't fully energized. And, with all the movement as of late, a day off was gratefully accepted by his physical form.

Second, he really had made no progress in the search for his body. He supposed that this must be a step of some sort, since making her his girlfriend might supply his body with some energy. The technical search, however, had not gone anywhere.

Third, being around Ayaka required far too much effort in being _polite_. When he was back at his shrine, he didn't have to worry about properly addressing anyone, nor did he actually _have_ to address anyone at all. But with Ayaka, he was constantly encountering situations, such as the current one, that required a respectful attitude. It was too stiff for Kirihito's liking.

The principal, Kamei, thought for a moment. "Well, I don't see any harm in it. It won't cost us anything, and perhaps you'll actually be able to help a few students. You are close to their age, after all. High school seems like it was such a long time ago for me… But for you, it must be like it was yesterday." She chuckled, looking back on fond memories. Kirihito always wondered why the elderly liked to recall high school memories. Sometimes he even wondered if he missed something by not having the chance to go.

"Thank you, Kamei-san. I appreciate your helping me achieve my career goals," he responded, bowing his head.

"It's hardly a problem." Then her head perked up as though an idea had just surfaced in her mind. "Say, would you mind trying to tutor a… difficult student?"

Kirihito pushed down a grin. _Here we go_, he thought. Lifting his head, he smiled slightly. "That's fine. May I ask his, or her, name?"

"His name is Oshiro Daijiro."

{{{/}}}

After having discussed some of the more minor details, Kamei concluded by asking, "So would daily directly after school hours work for you?"

"Yes, ma'am. That'd be perfect," Kirihito responded.

"You should really get a tour of this school, though… Say, do you know any students here?" she asked.

Kirihito paused a moments, acting as though he had to think about it, before responding, "I know one. Tsukino Ayaka is the daughter of an acquaintance of mine who runs a café."

"Ah, so you know Yamamoto-san? He's a fine gentleman, that one. Running that old thing after his brother-in-law passed. He's really taken charge of Tsukino-chan. He always attends teacher conferences, and even events that aren't required," she said thoughtfully.

Kirihito bit the inside of his cheek, his thoughts towards Yamamoto still bitter. "He certainly cherishes her," he finally responded.

"Now, let me call her from class. She's a great student, perhaps her missing a lecture will give another student _some_ chance," she joked. Then she pressed one of the numerous buttons on the wall and said clearly, "Tsukino Ayaka, please report to the office immediately. There is someone I would like you to give a tour of the building to." She turned back to Kirihito, releasing the button. "I always like to give a brief explanation for a summon. Otherwise, I worry that the students will fret over the reason. Anyway, her classroom is near the staircase on the second floor, so she should be here any moment."

Kirihito smiled in response, before looking around the office. It was almost as large as a classroom, but it seemed as though conferences were held here. There was a large, circular table behind where the principal sat, some papers still resting on it. Chairs surrounded it, and Kirihito assumed there were as many chairs as faculty members. There were some photographs along a wall, all of past principals, except for one student. Upon closer inspection, Kirihito found that it was a student by the name of Naito Kaiya, who had apparently committed suicide the previous year. She had been a first year.

There was a brief knock on the door, before Ayaka walked in. She had been about to address Kamei, before she caught sight of Kirihito. Eyes widening, she asked, "Mori-kun?"

"Hello, Ayaka."

Kamei smiled. "Ah, great, you are on close terms. Yamamoto-san _does_ bring people together, doesn't he? Anyway, Kirihito-san will be a volunteer tutor here as of tomorrow, so I would greatly appreciate it if you could give him a tour of our school."

"Of course, Kamei-san," Ayaka responded, bowing toward her principal before glancing nervously back at Kirihito, who gave an amused smirk.

"Shall we go then?" he asked. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd appreciate if you showed me where the student Oshiro Daijiro's classroom might be. I'll be tutoring him, and I've heard he's a bit rebellious."

Understanding drowned out all confusion that had previously shown on Ayaka's face, but the nervousness there only became more apparent. She cocked her head to the side and, glancing toward the principal, replied, "Of course, Mori-kun."

{{{/}}}

"Those stairs lead to the roof I assume?" Kirihito questioned. It had been about a forty-five minutes, and they had reached the end of the top floor.

"Yes," Ayaka replied, still tense. They stood there in silence for a moment, before Ayaka spoke again, "What are you… planning to do?"

"I have a function which requires me to have volunteer hours concerning the career I am considering… or something," he said, smile mischievous.

She laughed lightly, before frowning again. "But really. You're tutoring _Oshiro-kun_?"

"Yes, it appears I am. He's too much trouble for the teachers, really. I suppose I need to teach the kid a lesson, if you know what I'm referring to," Kirihito replied.

"That's what I'm worried about," she mumbled.

He glanced around quickly, before lightly pecking her on the forehead. "Don't worry, darling," he said, voice teasing, and winked.

She couldn't stop the pull at the corner of her lips. "You're the one worrying too much."

"That's my job now, isn't it?" he asked, tilting his head up and looking down on her. Even he would have to admit that he was using the whole dating thing for far too many excuses. As long as it worked, though, that didn't really matter.

"I suppose so," she replied.

"So, it's the end of school now, isn't it?" Kirihito questioned, peeking into a classroom to look at their clock. "Where do you want to go?"

She smiled at his sudden energetic mood. He seemed much calmer now—back to his logical self. "Mori-kun, I'm afraid there's still five minutes of class left." He frowned at her as though to say, "Who cares, just ditch." She added, "By the time I get to my classroom and gather my things, class will have ended, okay?"

"I'll wait at the school gate," Kirihito said, his tone not at all questioning. She nodded before turning on her heel and rushing back to class, probably hoping to catch the last of the lecture.

He watched for a moment, before quickly walking behind her. He had the strangest feeling….

Ayaka took the steps two-by-two, not even noticing how close Kirihito was to her. Then, as Kirihito had predicted, her ankle twisted. She would've rolled down almost a full flight of stairs had Kirihito not wrapped his arm across her stomach, pulling her back. Mouth to her ear, he whispered, "Careful, now."

Her face flushed. "Ah, I'm so sorry!"

"Don't apologize, but… I think I should probably walk you to your class," Kirihito said, lightly tapping the ankle she had twisted awkwardly. "It's probably a sprain."

"Oh, I suppose that's true… Thanks." She leaned his weight against him, wrapping her arm across his shoulders. They walked slowly, but Ayaka still twitched whenever they took a step. And not just slightly—she practically jumped from pain. Kirihito sighed. Why was he in this situation? His body was hardly what he'd call strong…

Regardless, he put his right arm behind her legs and picked her up, the action quick. If she had struggled, it would've been a pain. He continued walking then, surprised by Ayaka's silence. He looked down to look at her face to find… tomato red. He had to laugh at the sight. How could anyone blush _that_ hard? She pouted slightly, turning away from him. Again, Kirihito couldn't stop thoughts like "She's cute" and "How is she even real?"

Having been shown where Ayaka's classroom was earlier by the girl herself, Kirihito had no trouble finding it. He considered going in with her and telling someone to hand her things to her, but Kirihito had enough sense to realize that he'd be killing any social life she may or may not have. He slowly put her down, making sure she was steady.

"I'll wait out here," he said, leaning against the wall.

She nodded, her smile obviously thankful for his decision. She flinched as she walked, but Kirihito tensed up to keep himself from either going with his original plan or just carrying her out of the school without her things.

About two minutes later, the bell rang. As the classroom cleared out, many students, especially the girls, shot him a glance. He hardly noticed for once, though, as he waited for Ayaka. He bit his lip, knowing she would probably be the last to come out.

She finally stumbled out, papers almost slipping from her bag, as she flinched with each step. Sighing, Kirihito carefully lifted her up again.

"We should probably get you back to your apartment, huh?" he asked, glaring at random students to get them to stop staring.

"You can leave me with Yamamoto-san," she replied. A growl slipped from Kirihito's mouth. "Mori-kun… Did you have a fight with Yamamoto-san?"

Kirihito was quiet for a brief moment as he looked down at her, measuring her expression. Finally, he replied, "Yes."

The reply was simple, but it didn't take a genius to realize what it implied: don't pry any further. Ayaka realized this, but chose to ask another question regardless. "Did it have something to do with me?"

They had left the school grounds by now, and were only a couple blocks from the café. Kirihito's arms were starting to hurt, and this conversation topic greatly irritated him. "And if it did?" he asked, some of this irritation staining his words.

"Then it's idiotic," she responded, her voice unwavering as she stared up at him.

"So I'm an idiot now, am I?" Kirihito lightly joked, trying to switch topics.

"Yes. Yamamoto-san's doing as I requested. He's doing the best he can. He's not at fault for what I do, or what Oshiro-kun does, and definitely not for what his sister did. He still thinks he is, but he isn't."

Kirihito was surprised by her confidence. "He said he didn't know what to do. He should figure it out. He can't just know everything from the start."

"But he _has_ tried. Oshiro-kun's father owns a café chain. Once, when Yamamoto-san had gotten in Oshiro's face, he threatened to buy Café Tsukino. If he were to let that happen, he'd be letting go of his memories of my dad. It's a precious place for me, too. That's why we leave the issue alone. For my dad."

{{{/}}}

When Kirihito let Ayaka down in front of the restaurant, Yamamoto looked up at him through the window. He looked as though he hadn't the faintest which facial expression would be best. He started out by smiling, but then, perhaps believing it may be inappropriate, gave a serious expression and a polite nod. He continued to look at Kirihito nervously, as though waiting for a response.

After a moment of still staring as Ayaka walked into the café, Kirihito gave a crooked smile, turned around, and sent a casual wave behind him. Though he couldn't see it, Yamamoto grinned fondly as he walked away.

{{{/}}}

**A/N Thank you again to yumiarantes, as well as BloodDDB. Reading reviews is honestly what motivates me the most.**

**I understand that the whole conflict with Oshiro's father may seem a bit generic. Given the connection the caf****é has to Ayaka's father, however, I figured that this conflict would be more complicated, since more than just the café is at stake.**


	9. Chapter 9-Image

After a boring day off in which he briefly appeared again at the school, Kirihito arrived a few minutes before the Monday school day ended, making sure there would be time to briefly appear before the school's principal. Kamei greeted him happily, to which Kirihito responded with a polite nod.

"I apologize in advance, by the way," Kamei said suddenly, taking what time was left to chat. "Oshiro-kun is perhaps even more difficult than you would guess. I believe him to be misunderstood, but I seem to be the only one. Really, I suppose this feeling is more of a hope. I truly hope he's just coincidentally in the wrong place at the wrong times… See, not only does he have academic issues, but he's gotten suspended multiple times for his misconduct."

"Is that so? What types of misconduct?" he asked, eyes narrowing just slightly.

She sighed. "Well, it seems he has been mistreating other students, even to the extent of violence sometimes."

"We can't have that now, can we," Kirihito stated. "Don't worry, I'll see to it that his conduct improves with his grades." After all, the real reason Kirihito wished to tutor Oshiro did lean more toward the conduct side.

Kamei smiled. "Thank you." Kirihito turned to leave, having been told to meet Oshiro in the library. "Oh, and one more thing," Kamei said, stopping him in his tracks. "Welcome to Hamasaki High."

{{{/}}}

Kirihito grinned when he saw the face Oshiro wore when he walked into the library. To say the least, the boy was surprised. To be more accurate, he looked a mix between surprised, angry, and scared. Kirihito found it comical.

"Good afternoon, Oshiro-kun. I will be your tutor beginning today," Kirihito greeted. Then, with a smirk, he continued, "I _do _hope you'll cooperate."

"Heh. Came to find me when your girlfriend wouldn't see you?" Oshiro asked, his lips forming an aggressive smile.

Kirihito gave a polite, but very fake, smile. "Oh, no. Ayaka is fully aware of my presence here. Even of my tutoring here."

Oshiro's smile widened. "So you tricked her into believing you'd make amends, or at least not do anything to me?"

"It seems she trusts me far too much," Kirihito replied simply. Then, sighing, he said, "I am, however, still your tutor. As such, take a seat. We'll go over this material."

{{{/}}}

Kirihito had no idea how to do human math. Honestly, what use could anybody possibly have for finding the equation of a circle? _Why graph it?__Why not just make it right away or find a circle that suits your purposes?__And the word problems...__Why would you use a circle to find the distance between two geese when you could use a straight line?__Using the diameter certainly isn't simpler than using a straight line…_ Kirihito let out a sigh, luckily though, his ignorance towards math went unnoticed by his "student".

Oshiro sat across from him, muttering under his breath, trying to figure out why there is an assumed one before variables. It seemed Kirihito would be fine, since his limited mathematic skills were still far beyond those of the boy in front of him.

"It wouldn't be there if it was zero. It simply wouldn't exist," Kirihito mumbled, yawning. "School is _so_ boring. Anyway, academics aside… A café chain, was it?" His eyes narrowed as he lazily rested his head on his palm.

"Huh?" Oshiro asked, the slightest bit of worry entering his tone. "Yeah, my pops owns it. It's called Sakura. Generic name, huh? It was started by my grandmother, and that was her name," he explained, keeping the topic light.

"And this large chain's owners would be interested in buying such a quaint, rundown café at the request of their delinquent son?" Kirihito questioned, his features beginning to distort in mischief. "That doesn't sound very likely. What are you going to tell them? The owner was mean to you because you were bullying his niece? I'd imagine they'd at least want a believable explanation.

"Regardless, I have nothing to do with that café, so buying it because _I_ am bothering you would make very little sense. After all, that obviously wouldn't stop me from continuing to make your life a living hell. In fact, it may make my treatment of you even worse," Kirihito told him, thoughtful, as he glanced to the side. Meeting Oshiro's eyes again, he stated, "So let's not even bother trying that threat."

Oshiro seemed to decide that this would be a good time to act tough again. "Oh? Did those two honestly take such an obviously empty threat seriously?"

"Yes, it seems they really _are _that foolish," Kirihito agreed, much to Oshiro's confusion. "That's not really of much importance to me, anyway, though. I simply want you to leave Ayaka alone. Briefly after having met her, she came back to the café in a very… rough state. She said she had 'slight bullying issues', if I remember correctly. That was also you, correct?"

"As far as I am aware, my friends and I are the only ones who give her a hard time," Oshiro responded easily. Kirihito made a mental note of the way Oshiro glanced towards the librarian. _Does he honestly think that an old lady will keep me from hurting him?_

Kirihito thought a moment, before asking, "Why _would_ you do that, anyway? I mean, usually I can understand advantages a bully would have in these situations. You, however… What do _you_ gain? She's easy prey, to say the least, so I can't believe it remains entertaining. In my experience, once they give in like that it's best to just—" Kirihito stopped himself, just barely closing his mouth before the words "kill them" came out. He put on a pleasant smile, before finishing, "Stop. The boredom gets excruciating, doesn't it? Wouldn't you prefer to just spend that time playing—oh, what are they called?—video games. That's what you do these days, right?"

Oshiro tilted his head to the side slightly. "You have experience with this?"

Kirihito sighed, irritation forcing his fingers to jerk through his hair. "Well, we all did stupid things, right? Yes, I _do_ have experience. In fact, I don't especially have anything against humans who do those 'stupid things'," he muttered. Then, once again narrowing his eyes, he said, "But it becomes different when Ayaka's involved. Do whatever you please, but leave _my_ girl out of it."

Oshiro grinned. "Oh, and what could _you _do about it?" he asked, jerking his head again to the librarian. _He honestly believes the old lady makes a difference,_ Kirihito thought in disbelief. "Forget about this job, you don't want to be forbidden all access to this school, do you?"

The librarian turned to focus on a book. In one, quick motion, Kirihito stood up and lifted the boy up by his collar, hardly creating a sound. Mouth to Oshiro's ear, he whispered, "You're making a mistake if you think I feel the need to keep up some kind of 'image' for that girl. In fact, you're fooling yourself if you think I care at all about her emotions."

Oshiro chuckled quietly, though fear stained his voice. "Her emotions _totally_ didn't affect you the other day when she kept you from attacking me," he said sarcastically.

Kirihito paused, letting Oshiro go as he lost himself in thought. After all, the brat was right. First of all, he really shouldn't have cared so much that she was going through all of this in the first place. And his stopping? Honestly, if she didn't like the sight of other people's blood than she needed to get far, far away from Kirihito. Then he realized that the very questions spinning around in his heads were the ones that had brought him to be in that library. If he didn't understand why something bothered him, he should just get rid of whatever it was. In the end, the "why" wouldn't matter.

"Your lesson's done for the day," Kirihito said suddenly, glancing down at Oshiro, who was sprawled awkwardly on his seat after being dropped. "However, don't lay another finger on Ayaka, okay? Whatever your reason is, whatever you _do_ gain… Those things don't matter to _me_, however curious I may be." Kirihito turned to leave, but Oshiro interrupted.

"Weren't you in high school not too long ago, man? It's all 'bout keeping up your image."

"In that case," Kirihito replied slowly. "You should definitely stop with Ayaka. I'm sure coming back to school with a cast or two and bandages wrapped around your face would do a _bit_ of damage to this 'image' of yours."

{{{/}}}

Kirihito calmly walked through the school's entrance to find a certain girl leaning against the school gate. He smiled warmly.

"Waiting to see if the fire alarm goes off or if an ambulance is called?" Kirihito asked.

She turned to him, returning his smile. "Just in case, of course," she joked. "But really, I had nothing better to do, so I figured that I mind as wait for you. It's not like Oshiro-kun would come after me."

Kirihito grinned. "Man, he's stupid. No wonder his grades are horrendous. I didn't even go to high school and I know more than he does!"

The started walking for a moment, before Ayaka blurted out, "Wait, wait! You didn't go to high school?"  
>Kirihito blinked, realizing his slip of the tongue. "No, no, you misunderstand. I meant that I knew more than he did before I even went to high school."<p>

"Oh, sorry," Ayaka apologized. "I was just a bit confused."

"No, it's my fault. Pardon my poor phrasing," Kirihito apologized in return.

"No problem. By the way, Yamamoto seemed a bit happier yesterday. Did you guys make up?" Ayaka questioned, her eyes glinting with a hopeful delight.

Kirihito looked back to the previous day's wordless exchange. "I suppose we did. By the way, today's Tuesday, correct?"

"Huh? Yeah, why?" Ayaka asked.

"It's already been over a week since I met you…" he responded, going into a bit of a daze.

"_What?!_" Ayaka shouted. "Was it really only a week before yesterday? It seems like it was so long ago, though!"

"A lot _has_ happened, I suppose," Kirihito responded simply. "Tell me, do you normally get into that much trouble on a weekly basis?" His tone was half-joking, but only half.

Ayaka laughed cheerfully. "Not _quite_ so much! I don't go to mixers, and I generally don't have quite so bad a time with Oshiro-kun." Ayaka paused for a moment. "Wait, if it really hasn't been that long, do you still have that cold? Or are you better? I'm so sorry, I had forgotten all about it!"

"The cold was a lie," he responded simply. "My body's weak—has been ever since I can remember. I never seem to have enough energy. Anyway, it's normal and nothing to worry about."

"Have you seen a doctor about it?" Ayaka asked.

Kirihito sighed. "Like I said, I've had it ever since I can remember. Somehow I doubt I've never seen a doctor about it."

Ayaka frowned. "I suppose that's true. I'm sorry to hear that."

"I don't need your pity," Kirihito said, his smile returning as he tussled her hair fondly. "Just keep yourself safe so I don't need to push my body to keep all your creeps and bullies at bay."

She chuckled. "Of course, Mori-kun. I wouldn't want to trouble my boyfriend over something like that, would I?"

{{{/}}}

**A/N Sorry for the late update! School stated up again. Also, I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with this chapter. In fact, I'm still a bit iffy on how I feel about it :/ I'm sorry if this update disappointed any of you! The next chapters will get better!**

**BloodDDB: Thanks for reviewing again! Tomoe and Nanami will be making an appearance, which will probably be in chapter 11. As for the point in the manga... I suppose it is somewhat after the, er, _occurance _with Nanami. It is a period of time after that, but none of the manga relating to Kirihito after that has to do with this fanfiction. In other words, the more recent chapters of the manga are irrelevant to the story. Again, thank you. I truly appreciate your reviews!**


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